Out of The Fire, Into The Fade
by bornpuppetdiedcrying
Summary: Fighting the symptoms of his anxiety and PTSD from his time in the military, Nikos Callas turns to a popular video game to make his day to day more tolerable. After he becomes an accidental hero in his real life Andraste decides he's just what the inquisition needs. (Modern Character in Thedas) (Bull/OMC/Dorian) (it's gay folks) (Also posted on Ao3)
1. It All Fades To Black

Sparks engulfed Nikos' vision.

Flashes of his life: holding his baby sister for the first time, receiving his dog tags, waking up bound and beaten, his screams echoing in the empty room, the ringing in his ears as shrapnel tore his flesh open, being afraid to touch his family, Midnight hot chocolate on the kitchen floor with Thea, playing his first video game since coming home, the monotonous clicking of his keyboard, the damp autumn air ruffling his hair.

The screech of tires; His body going limp as people scream - he screams and his world swirls to black.

He woke confused. His back ached from his sprawled and twisted body on sanded stone. Nikos slowly sat up, not entirely sure where he was or how he got there. He was in a hallway made of stone with nothing in terms of decoration besides a few large vases that looked severely out of place and ancient.

Static danced in the back of his mind as he pushed himself off the ground and onto unstable feet. Nikos limped over to the closest vase, favoring his left leg and tried to pick it up.

Nikos was surprised by how light it was compared to its size. He took a deep breath, inhaled two lungs full of dust and started to cough. The vase was very dusty, so much so that when he moved his hands off of the vase he could see distinct marks of where his hands took away some grime. Seeing how Nikos had no idea where he currently was, he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth and hefted the vase into his arm.

It was only in his arms for a few seconds before he started to cough again. He set the vase down and took off his over shirt. He wiped away dust and grime, though he focused around the rim and top half; more concerned about inhaling dust than having it all over his clothes.

Once the vase was cleaner than how he found it, Nikos once again hefted the vase into his arms. He favored his right arm and used his left for support more so than to hold it. With the vase in his grasp and dust no longer clouding his lungs, Nikos looked both left and right down the hallway he was in. They were virtually identical.

Nikos wished he had a coin to toss to choose his direction. He always struggled with making basic choices: like to go left or right, what food to eat, when to wake up and other simple decisions of no greater value. He let out a tired sigh and turned to start his journey left.

He had fumbled with the vase as he tried to open every door he passed. Some were already wide open with nothing of hear importance inside. Others were locked tight and without his lock picking set he had no hopes to see what was inside.

"Is anyone even in this place?" Nikos had wondered aloud. His voice soft as he only spoke to himself. "I feel like I've been here for hours, but that could just be because I'm bored as Hell…"

He continued for a couple minutes, he peaked in doorways and wondered if he had gone the right way. The entire time his mind raced. His surroundings were familiar but he had no idea why, and he felt a kernel of dread form in his stomach.

During his entire trek he didn't pass any other person, and from what he could tell, he was getting near the end of the hall.

He prayed to whatever deity out there that it wasn't a dead end and there was a door or something that lead to someplace with another living being. He just hoped it wouldn't be something hostile. He really didn't want to fight someone with his only viable "Weapon" on his person being an oversized vase.

Just before he gave up hope on there being a door, he saw a double wide set of doors crafted out of fine wood. Nikos let his shoulders sag with relief, but was quick to tense up and launch into action as a cry flitted through the thick wooden doors.

"Someone, please help me!" The accented voice sounded strained and so familiar to Nikos. Alarm bells were going off in his head, but his instincts took over.

Without his notice, Nikos forgot about his gimp knee and arm and threw his newly energized body against the doors. They flew open and slammed against the walls with a loud thud. What greeted him made Nikos pause for only a brief second, His flashbacks didn't register in that moment and his need to protect spurred him into action.

In front of him was a scene from one of his favorite video games. He saw Divine Justinia be suspended in midair while Corypheus held the damned glowing green orb in his nasty clawed hands.

"Hey, Fugly!" Nikos shouted to gain Corypheus and his cronies' attention, "Let the old lady go!"

Nikos relied solely on his instincts and threw his only possible weapon with adrenaline fueled strength and watched as it flew through the air and smashed against Corypheus's gross spindly skeletal body.

When the vase shattered against the red lyrium covered man, Divine Justinia was able to smack the orb out of Corypheus's hand and in Nikos' general direction.

Without thinking of the consequences, or what was even happening, Nikos crouched and grabbed the orb with his left hand like he did when he played catch with his dad.

"Grab the elf!" He heard Corypheus roar and watched as the man seemed to glide over the floor and charged forward.

Before he could be caught, Nikos gasped as an acidic green light enveloped him and once again, within an indeterminate amount of time, his vision left him.

Nikos came back to consciousness on his hands and knees. His chest shook with heavy breaths and nearly choked once he took notice of the sinister green mist that surrounded him.

"Where the Hell am I?" He coughed and stood up. The ground was covered in jagged rocks. Only the thin soles of his worn sneakers kept the sharp points from cutting his feet apart.

If this wasn't a dream somehow, Nikos could only guess that this was the fade. He couldn't tell if this was a really vivid dream, if he was high or if this was actually happening somehow. The only proof he had that pointed to the latter was the scrapes that burned the palms of his hands.

He wandered aimlessly for a while. He avoided stepping in puddles or any form of liquid and tried to find a way out. If this was a dream he should be able to just envision himself out of the fade. Maybe… If this was really actually happening Nikos had only the fainted idea of how to escape the fade. He needed to find Divine Justinia and if he was lucky, get them both out of the fade alive.

He tried to keep an eye out for a path that would maybe lead him to that weirdly steep hill, but he couldn't see anything of the sort. He tried to keep his pace steady, but when a crescendo of skittering legs reached his ears made a shiver shoot down his spine, he took off into a sprint away from the sound.

Skittering followed him as he ran and Nikos whipped his head around rapidly. He broke out into a cold sweat as he remembered the opening scenes of inquisition.

"They're all around me…" Nikos panted and cursed his  
lack of exercise from the last couple years. Just when Nikos caught sight of  
the mountain he felt his foot catch on a rock. "Shit!"

Nikos ended up eating gravel but he pushed himself forward. He couldn't let the spiders catch him. He couldn't die like this.

"Divine Justinia!" Nikos called out. He saw her distinct silhouette atop the mountain. "Get out of here!"

Justinia stayed despite Nikos' cry and urged him to keep running. It felt like an eternity, but he finally made it to the top with a swarm of spiders on his tail.

"Come on!" Nikos grabbed the elder woman's offered  
arm and tugged her towards the glowing green portal in front of them. "We gotta go!"

He led her toward their only exit when she dropped to her knees. She was caught on something and had fallen forward. Nikos tried to help her up, tried to save her, but she looked up at him with an unsettling resolve in her eyes. Divine Justinia was accepting her fate - no. She was sacrificing her life for his.

"I'm not leaving you here to die!" His voice cracked

"No you're not" she protested, "You are saving your life and many others!"

After she freed herself from Nikos' grasp she pushed him away as hard as she could. Nikos let out a dry sob and turned away from the woman who saved him and fell through the portal.

"Maker guide you young one."

He watched through hazy vision as armored warriors approached him demanding answers to unheard questions.

All that raced through Nikos' head was his failure.

"She died for me…" He collapsed into a heap for the third time and prayed that this was all just a dream.


	2. Baby Steps Still Lead to Somewhere

When he first woke up, the familiar weight of bindings on his wrists sent his brain into overdrive.

He couldn't move. Blindfolded and bound. They spoke around him in a language he couldn't understand. They were talking about what to do with him. He could tell despite not knowing the language.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you."

He heard a voice speaking. A woman raw with anger and looking for someone to blame.

"He died trying to save you."

A blast shook the room, shrapnel flying everywhere. He screams as pieces of wood and rock tore through his flesh. Ripping open his face and body. He cried for so long, unaware of his surroundings, unaware that he could no longer cry out in pain. His voice left him in that place, if only for a short time.

Nikos remained silent, his eyes glazed over, lost in his head.

"Explain this!" The woman with short black hair griped the manacles that held his wrists in place and yanked his arms up.

Nikos didn't fight the forceful movement. He remained limp in her grasp. Yet at the same time, coiled tight, like a predator ready to strike.

"We're losing him." The voice was frantic. He felt a hand on his burning face.

"We almost lost you." His parents tried to pull him into a hug. He took a step away from them. He wouldn't allow them to touch him.

"Please don't leave me again." Thea sobbed into her hands. She was curled in on herself on the hospital chair beside his bed.

"What happened to you?" The voice was kind, nonjudgmental. "This is a safe place."

"Everyone introduce yourselves." a chorus of names followed the instruction.

"The path towards healing is a long one." He had wanted to believe those words. He really did. But it felt like healing was an unachievable goal.

His left arm flared to life, pain shooting through his body. Nikos lifted his head up confused and frightened. He tensed further and tried to shrink into himself.

"Answer me!" The woman got right up next to his face. Her warm breath caressing his cheeks.

'It's not the same. You're not there'

"I… I can't…"

The woman narrowed her eyes and growled, "What do you mean you can't?"

Nikos gulped and tried to shrink more.

"You can never let information into the enemy hands."

"Be sure to never break."

"They will be ruthless no matter what you say."

"I'm…"

'I'm not allowed. I'm in enemy territory. I would rather die than give up my comrades.'

"Cassandra stop." Another woman spoke. Her voice was lighter than the other's but still had a hidden blade beneath the surface.

"Why must I stop Leliana? He was the only person left alive at the Conclave. We deserve answers!" The woman he now knew was named Cassandra retorted. She turned to face the woman - Leliana with her arms crossed over her armored chest. "He must give us answers!"

"He won't be able to give you any information in the state he is in." Leliana's accented voice was a familiar sound. Her approach was slow as she lowered herself to Nikos' height. "You are safe here. We will bring you no further harm. We are simply looking for answers. Answers you may or may not be able to provide."

This was too familiar - to different from his memories. They were going off course. This was a dream, right? No… The pain he felt was too real. The weight of his shackles, the floor biting his knees, the indescribable smell of the room.

"Where am I?" Nikos looked into Leliana's eyes hoping he wasn't going crazy. "Is this real? Are you real?"

Leliana leaned back a smidge and seemed to take Nikos in. His dark espresso skin, choppy, home cut hair, and wild eyes.

"Do you truly not know where you are?"

Nikos shook his head.

"The last thing I remember was…"

Waking up in the fade being chased by giant spiders.

Walking down the sidewalk. The fresh autumn air ruffled his hair. The sun was a pleasant warmth on his back as he passed the park by his apartment. He could hear children playing. Tiny cries and shrieks were only those filled with joy, not terror. That's when he saw it.

Nikos looked down at his hands. His left was glowing an ominous green and they both shook."I was home. And Then I was in a stone building. I threw a vase at a red monster and I'm here now. Where ever here is."

"You cannot believe him Leliana." Cassandra protested as she noticed the thoughtful stance her friend took.

"We cannot disprove him either. Not yet anyway." Leliana stood back up to her full height and looked down at Nikos. "Tell us elf, What your name?"

The elf comment made Nikos tense. He always had abnormal sized ears, but to hear someone actually call him an elf? He felt his hackles involuntarily rise.

"Nikos" He swallowed down a sharp remark, "Nikos Callas."

"Where are you from?" This time Cassandra asked the question. She had walked closer to Nikos and he wilted under her gaze.

"I'm… Not from around here."

"We could tell by your accent. Now, where are you from?"

"I don't know what to call where I'm from."

The two women shared a glance at one another.

Leliana spoke this time and pushed her friend back a couple steps. A honey glaze covered any sharpness that may have been there before. "Did your home not have a name?"

"No, it did. I just. Don't know what to call it."

"Amnesia?"

"More like trauma." Nikos snarked before he froze. He observed the two women and tried to gauge their reactions.

Leliana seemed more amused by his remark than anything. Cassandra, on the other hand, looked like she was trying to reign in her temper.

"Can you tell us what you remember?" Cassandra spoke through gritted teeth.

Nikos silently nodded his head and linked his fingers together. "Like I had said, I had seen a gross red monster in a stone building. He was holding a woman and a green ball. The woman cried for help so I ran in without thinking. She was able to get the glowing orb out of his hands. I picked it up and was blinded. When I could see again I was someplace really green."

"The fade?" Cassandra grasped

"Maybe?" Nikos shook his head, "I have no idea. But anyways, I got chased by spiders up this staircase that was like a mountain and I saw the woman who was in the room before. She was standing at the top. She pushed me out. I think she told me to save people. I don't know who though, if she even had anyone in mind."

"How strange…" Leliana murmured. "It is almost like you were brought here for a reason."

"She said something about the Maker? 'Maker guide me' or something?" He shook his head and placed his face in his hands. "I don't know what is happening anymore."

'Am I in a video game? Is this all just a dream? Did I die?'

"Lift your head," Cassandra ordered. Nikos was slow to respond and watched the woman with wary eyes.

"What are you going to do to me?"

Leliana answered as Cassandra was busy looking for something. "She is going to undo your shackles." That something she was searching for was presumably a key.

"I do not want to do this," Cassandra admitted curtly. "I do not trust you or the tales you spin. But…" She looked down at Nikos, her lips pressed hard together, "We need you. As much as I hate to admit. We need the mark on your hand. We believe it is connected to the breach in the sky."

"Breach?"

"Let us show you." Cassandra crouched down and undid Nikos' bindings. She narrowed her eyes in a threatening manner. "Don't think to try anything while you are unbound."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good." Cassandra gave a sharp nod and gestures for him to follow her outside. "Now we must get to the breach as fast as possible. We noticed that the larger the breach got, the mark on your hand grew as well. We believe they are connected and your mark may be the key to closing the hole in the sky."

"Oh jeez…" Nikos breathed. He followed Cassandra and Leliana out of the room he was held in and collapsed on pain.

Upon exiting the building his left arm flared up with green sparks. Nikos tried to breathe through the pain as he clutched his dominant arm to his chest.

"We must hurry." Cassandra urged. She gestured for Leliana to go ahead. "Go to the forward camp Leliana. I will stay with the elf."

Leliana nodded and departed without a farewell.

Once the mark settled down, no longer sputtering out green, Cassandra offered Nikos a hand. He was grateful and took her hand. She easily hefted him back onto his feet and motioned for him to follow her.

"We must continue. The breach will only continue to grow."

"Let's just get this over with."

Nikos stared up at the sky. A neon hole ripped in the sky with swirling clouds surrounding it. No matter the graphics Inquisition may have had, it would have nothing on seeing the breach in person. He couldn't describe his feelings. Overwhelmed and in awe for sure, but he felt some sort of power - something was drawing him in.

While lost in the sky Nikos was oblivious to the angry stares and murmurs that followed them across the bridge.

"They have decided your guilt." Cassandra broke the silence between them. "They have lost their Divine and they need someone to blame for everything. That someone is you."

"Hm?" Nikos hummed. He tore his gaze away from the sky and saw the sneers directed toward him. He glanced at Cassandra before he spoke. "They do realize that I'm not bound anymore right?"

"What does that have to do with anything-"

"If I was guilty - which I'm not by the way - but I could easily just run up to them and fight them with my hands-free."

Cassandra let out a disgusted grunt. "We must think beyond ourselves. At least until the breach is sealed."

"I'm not arguing with you, Ma'am. I'm just saying, it would be smarter for them to hide their distaste. Lesser people hold grudges for less, longer than you could imagine."

Cassandra spared Nikos a glance and continued to lead them closer to the breach. She kept them at a steady pace through the terrain.

Nikos had to fight back bile from the sight and smell of people running for their lives, burning alive, and crying out in unimaginable pain.

Just when they were about to reach the second bridge on their journey the mark flared up again. Nikos fell to his knees and a hazy memory struck.

It was his first time playing Dragon Age Inquisition. He had made a human rogue character and he was excited to play. His character was leading Cassandra through the mountain trail when the breach grew and what could only be compared to a lightning bolt struck the bridge they just stepped on.

"Get back!" Nikos cried from his knees. "Get off the Bridge!" He saw from his position on the ground the breach stretch out. "Move!"

Some of the people across the bridge must have heard the hysteria in his voice and actually heeded his words. Those who listened bolted through the archway and onto solid ground. There was only a handful left on the bridge when the bolt struck.

Nikos cautioned a glance at Cassandra and saw her jaw drop in disbelief.

"How did you do that?" She demanded. She pulled him to his feet again and grabbed his shoulders, "How did you know that was going to happen?"

"I - I had a bad feeling…" His excuse was pitiful, Nikos knew that but he couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.

"A bad feeling?" a sculpted brow quirked.

"I've learned to trust my gut. It's saved my life before… It saved some of those people." Nikos gestured to the men and women who were staring at the collapsed bridge with wide eyes.

"I can… See that." Cassandra peered down where the bridge no longer stood and spoke. "We must continue." She led Nikos down the rubble and let out a loud noise of annoyment as the breach flared and demons materialized in front of them. "Stay back!" Cassandra took out her sword and shield and charged at the lesser shades that stood on the iced-over river.

"Cassandra!" Nikos looked around the ground and saw what he had hoped for. A crate was broken open with weapons spilled out. He rushed over and grabbed a bow, a quiver full of arrows, and a single dagger. He turned to check on Cassandra and saw a lesser shade about to sneak up behind the woman.

He somehow heard the ball before anything. The twang as is bounced across the pavement. The laughter seemed to fade away and Nikos saw a kid - no older than six years old stumble into the middle of the street after his ball.

"Hey, Kid!" Nikos shouted and broke out into a sprint towards the child, "Get out of the road!"

A car came speeding down the road, obviously above the fifteen miles per hour speed limit.

He was able to grab a hold of the kid's arm and yanked him back. All of his breath escapes him on impact. He didn't register the pain at first. He was numb. Maybe because of shock, or because his back broke. Either way, he was numb and all he could hear was an anguished scream.

It was his voice.

He screamed.

Someone spoke to him. At least he thought someone did. His ears hang and static filled his vision. Right before he lost consciousness he was the little boy. The little boy was safe.

Nikos smiled.

"Cassandra!" Nikos cried out. His body had moved on its own. He came to with a jolt just as he ran up her right side and threw himself at her.

The two grunted as they landed on the ground. Cassandra whipped her head around, ready to yell when she saw the lesser shade that was about to attack her back.

Relying solely on instinct, Nikos reached for his bow and notched an arrow and launched it at one of the shade's face. It hit dead on and an ear-splitting shriek came from the shade.

Nikos launched himself forward and traded his bow for the dagger he picked up. His body was moving based off muscle memory from his time in the military as he sliced at the shade and avoided it's attacking limbs. He finished the shade off with an almost feral growl as it disintegrated. He turned his head and saw Cassandra had gotten up herself and had taken care of the other shade.

"Put your weapons down!" Cassandra snapped as the last shade disappeared.

"I just saved your life." Nikos pointed out, his shoulders tense. "Do you really want to leave your back more open than it already is?"

Cassandra paused for a moment before releasing a heavy sigh. "You are right. I am in your debt for saving my life. Despite being treated as a prisoner, you still decided to risk your life for my own."

"You don't leave comrades to die. Even if you don't see eye to eye."


End file.
